Cubs DFA Neris, add their No. 18 prospect to bullpen
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CHICAGO -- The Cubs signed Héctor Neris over the offseason with the goal of adding veteran leadership and a durable arm to the late-inning mix. He delivered in both regards, but Neris was forced into the closer’s job out of necessity and endured a rocky ride in that role.
On Tuesday, the North Siders opted to move in a new direction, designating Neris for assignment. Relief prospect Jack Neely (No. 18 on MLB Pipeline’s Cubs rankings) was promoted from Triple-A Iowa to join Chicago's bullpen for his MLB debut.
“We’re at the time of the year,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said, “that we’re just really trying to take a look at different guys in different roles and get some new guys up here. It made sense to bring up Neely and potentially look at some other guys in different roles in the bullpen.”
Neely was acquired from the Yankees, along with infielder Ben Cowles (Pipeline’s No. 30 Cubs prospect), in exchange for reliever Mark Leiter Jr. ahead of the July 30 Trade Deadline. Since joining Triple-A Iowa, the 24-year-old Neely has logged 6 2/3 innings of 1-run ball (0 earned runs) with 13 strikeouts, one walk, four hits and three saves in three save opportunities and six games.
Armed with a slider and four-seamer -- fastballs logged by Statcast have averaged 95.6 mph this season -- Neely has turned in a 2.42 ERA in 37 games between Double-A Somerset, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Triple-A Iowa this year. In 48 1/3 innings, the righty has racked up 76 strikeouts compared to 17 walks.
The Cubs were going to need to add Neely (an 11th-round pick by the Yankees in the 2021 MLB Draft) to the 40-man roster in the offseason to remove the prospect from the Rule 5 Draft player pool. By promoting the right-hander now, Chicago can take a long look at him against MLB competition as the team looks ahead to the ‘25 bullpen picture.
“We targeted him in the trade as a player we thought would continue to get better,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “And since we’ve acquired him, he’s been great. The numbers have been outstanding. He’s striking out half the hitters he’s faced. That’s good. He earned a shot and he earned his first time here. We’ll get his feet wet here and then see where it goes.”
Neris, 35, was signed to a one-year contract worth $9 million by the Cubs last offseason, following a run of three straight seasons with at least 70 appearances. Notably, his deal included a $9 million team option that would have converted into a player option at 60 appearances or 45 games finished (plus a clean bill of health). The decision to move on from Neris eliminates the option, even if another team signs the veteran as a free agent before the end of this season.
Hoyer simply said, “No,” when asked if the decision to part ways with Neris was related to the pitcher’s contract option.
Counsell noted that Neris was informed after Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays that he had been exposed to waivers prior to that contest. Once he cleared waivers, Chicago opted to take the next step with the DFA decision.
“He understood and was very professional about it throughout the whole thing,” said the manager.
This season for the Cubs, Neris made 46 appearances with 33 games finished and 17 saves, moving into the closer’s role after Adbert Alzolay was shelved due to injury early in the year. Neris turned in a 3.89 ERA, but his outings were consistently fraught with drama, and the solid ERA belied the underlying numbers.
Neris had a 23.5% strikeout rate and a 13.3% walk rate. After allowing a 28% hard-hit rate in ‘23, Neris gave up a 43.4% hard-hit rate this season with Chicago. Neris had a 1.52 WHIP, plus a 4.55 expected ERA (via Statcast).
That said, Neris quickly found a home within the Cubs’ clubhouse and stepped up behind the scenes as a veteran voice. His last 18 appearances featured a 2.60 ERA, helping Chicago’s bullpen overall find some footing. The Cubs’ relief corps has led the Majors in bullpen ERA dating back to both June 1 (2.69) and July 1 (2.09).
“When you do something like this,” Counsell said, “does it affect this year? Maybe. Does it affect next year as well and the future? Yeah, I think both are true. I also think we’ve been pitching well there, and we have guys that are pitching well. And it was time to just try to find the next guy that can pitch really well, too.”